The Collections

One of the hardest decisions I've made since starting The Sole Collections was the name itself. I touched upon it in my last post; how I was completely ready to launch 'Solely For You' and, with less than 8 hours to go, I nervously told my web designer (and luckily, my very best friend!) that I'd changed my mind. Choosing a name is difficult as there are so many things to consider. Not only do you need to make it memorable, you need it to represent everything that you've worked so hard to put together. It has to stand out, it has to make sense and it has to be something that you feel 100% happy to put out there. After all, it's your brand. 

I wanted to include the word 'sole' because it's something that every shoe has, but it also represents 'soul'. I love that word; it's deep, meaningful and creative and it's also the part of every person that makes them who they are. The idea of having different names for different styles of shoe worked because I didn't always want to paint the same thing. I wanted the customer to choose whatever they wanted and take on a variety of orders, creating something personal for each and every one. I had a few ideas, with 'Solely For You' as the overall name for the whole business. If I'm being honest, there was something I wasn't completely happy with but, because I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, I put it down to nerves. I'd worked so hard with so many people to get everything together and I was finally going to put myself out there...that was always going to be a little scary! 

Everyone knows that Sunday evenings are made for Pinterest and it's an amazing way of discovering new trends and getting inspiration. Whilst getting lost in a world of street style and new season prints, I realised that all the sub-categories I had created were, in fact, my own little collections. Something just clicked and I felt like I'd finally found the answer to what was bothering me. It was simply 'The Sole Collections'; the perfect and most simple description of everything I had envisioned. And so, here they are, featuring some of the commissions I've painted so far...

Bare Your Sole

'Hand painted shoes for women'

Happy Soles

'Hand painted shoes for kids'

Heart and Sole

'Hand painted shoes for your special occasion'

Sole Mates

'Bringing your favourite characters to life'

As well as these, I have a men's collection; 'Sole Man' (a very cool pair of Nike huarache's are about to become it's first new arrival!), and I'm working on some SS15 prints behind the scenes. I think now would also be a good time to start announcing what I have been so secretive about...The Sole Collections has teamed up with the beautifully talented Cara Couture and, not only will some of my shoes be displayed in Cara's gorgeous new shop, we are also working on something really special together too! I can't wait to share more with you all.

Rhiannon Grace x